Theft prevention of media peripherals in a media exchange network

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods of theft prevention of communication devices are provided. In one embodiment, the method may include, for example, one or more of the following: registering a communication device being used at a home, where the device is connected to a communication network; entering validation information relating to the communication device; and analyzing the validation information to determine whether the communication device is authorized for use in the communication network.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS/INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

This application makes reference to, claims priority to, and claims thebenefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/467,098, filed onApr. 30, 2003, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/461,717, filedon Apr. 10, 2003, U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/432,472,entitled “Personal Inter-Home Media Exchange Network”, filed Dec. 11,2002, and U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/443,894, entitled“Personal Access And Control Of Media Peripherals On A Media ExchangeNetwork”, filed Jan. 30, 2003, the complete subject matter of which arehereby incorporated herein by reference, in their entirety.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS/INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

In addition, the applicants hereby incorporate the complete subjectmatter herein by reference, in their entirety, of U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application Ser. No. 60/457,179, entitled “Server ArchitectureSupporting A Personal Media Exchange Network”, filed Mar. 25, 2003, U.S.patent application Ser. No. 10/657,390, entitled “Personal Inter-HomeMedia Exchange Network”, filed Sep. 8, 2003, and U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 10/660,267, entitled “Personal Access And Control Of MediaPeripherals On A Media Exchange Network”, filed Sep. 11, 2003, thecomplete subject matter of which are hereby incorporated herein byreference, in their entirety.

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

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SEQUENCE LISTING

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MICROFICHE/COPYRIGHT REFERENCE

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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Today, digital media devices such as, for example, digital camcorders,digital cameras, and MP3 players are standalone devices that may beconnected to a PC (personal computer) through a USB (universal serialbus) interface to download digital files without any form of userauthentication or authorization.

When a user roams with a digital media device and is not near a PC, theuser is limited by the memory capacity of the digital media device andany additional memory for the device (such as memory sticks or tapes)that the user may have with him.

Digital files within a digital media device may be downloaded to a PC,encrypted by the PC, attached to an email message, and sent to anotherPC via the Internet. Also, the digital files may be sent over a networkusing, for example, FTP (file transfer protocol). However, neither theInternet nor the network has any knowledge of the original source of thedigital files (i.e., the digital media device).

If a digital media device is stolen, it may still be used by the thiefas if he were the owner.

Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditionalapproaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, throughcomparison of such systems with the present invention as set forth inthe remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Aspects of the present invention may be found in, for example, systemsand methods of theft prevention of communication devices. In oneembodiment, the present invention may provide for a method of theftprevention of communication devices. The method may include, forexample, one or more of the following: registering a communicationdevice being used at a location, where the device is connected to acommunication network; entering validation information relating to thecommunication device; and analyzing the validation information todetermine whether the communication device is authorized for use in thecommunication network.

In another embodiment, the present invention may provide a systemsupporting theft prevention of communication devices used in acommunication network. The system may include, for example, a processor,communicatively coupled to the communication network, that receivesinformation related to a communication device, the processor furtherreceives validation information entered into the communication networkand analyzes the validation information to determine whether thecommunication device is authorized for use in the communication network.

In another embodiment, the present invention may provide a systemsupporting theft prevention of communication devices used in acommunication network. The system may include, for example, acommunication device being used at a location; and a communicationnetwork communicatively coupled to the location, so that thecommunication network receives authorization information relating to thecommunication device and determines whether to grant the communicationdevice access to the communication network.

In another embodiment, the present invention may provide a systemsupporting theft prevention of communication devices used in acommunication network. The system may include, for example, a storagedevice being used at one location; a media device being used at a secondlocation; and a communication network communicatively coupled to thefirst location and the second location, where the communication networkanalyzes authorization information and determines whether to grantaccess of the media device to the first location.

These and other advantages, aspects and novel features of the presentinvention, as well as details of an illustrated embodiment thereof, willbe more fully understood from the following description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a media exchangenetwork comprising an architecture to support theft prevention of amedia peripheral, in accordance with various aspects of the presentinvention.

FIG. 2A is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of a method to preventtheft of a legacy media peripheral on the media exchange network of FIG.1, for example, in accordance with various aspects of the presentinvention.

FIG. 2B is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of a method to preventtheft of a new (non-legacy) media peripheral on the media exchangenetwork of FIG. 1, for example, in accordance with various aspects ofthe present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of a first exemplary media exchangenetwork in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram of performing personal mediaexchange over a second exemplary media exchange network in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram of performing third-party mediaexchange over a third exemplary media exchange network in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an exemplary illustration of a TV guide channel user interfacein accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an exemplary illustration of several instantiations of a TVguide channel user interface of FIG. 4 in accordance with an embodimentof the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an exemplary illustration of a TV guide channel user interfaceshowing several options of a pushed media in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9A is a schematic block diagram of a media processing system (MPS)interfacing to media capture peripherals in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9B illustrates an alternative embodiment of a media processingsystem (MPS) in accordance with various aspects of the presentinvention.

FIG. 10 is a schematic block diagram of a PC and an MPS interfacing to aserver on a media exchange network in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 11 is a schematic block diagram of a PC interfacing to personalmedia capture devices and remote media storage on a media exchangenetwork in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a media exchangenetwork 100 comprising an architecture to support theft prevention of amedia peripheral, in accordance with various aspects of the presentinvention. Specifically, the media exchange network 100 is acommunication network comprising a PC 101, a MPS (media processingsystem) 102, and at least one MP (media peripheral) 103 at a 1^(st) home104; a PC 105, a MPS 106, and at least one MP 107 at a 2^(nd) home 108.The MP 103 interfaces to the PC 101 and/or the MPS 102 via, for example,a wireless link or a wired link (e.g., a USB connection). The PC 101 andthe MPS 102 interface to a broadband access headend 109. The broadbandaccess headend 109 may comprise a cable headend, a satellite headend, ora DSL headend, in accordance with various embodiments of the presentinvention. As an option, the MP 103 may interface with the broadbandaccess headend 109. The PC 101, MPS 102, and/or MP 103 may includeinternal modems (e.g., a cable modem or DSL modem) or other interfacedevices in order to communicate with the broadband access headend 109.Optionally, the interface device (e.g., modem) may be external to the PC101, MPS 102, and MP 103.

Similarly, the MP 107 interfaces to the PC 105 and/or the MPS 106 via,for example, a wireless link or a wired link (e.g., a USB connection).The PC 105 and the MPS 106 interface to a broadband access headend 110.The broadband access headend 110 may comprise a cable headend, asatellite headend, or a DSL headend, in accordance with variousembodiments of the present invention. As an option, the MP 107 mayinterface with the broadband access headend 110. The PC 105, MPS 106,and/or MP 107 may include internal modems (e.g., a cable modem or DSLmodem) or other interface device in order to communicate with thebroadband access headend 110. Optionally, the interface device (e.g.,modem) may be external to the PC 105, MPS 106, and MP 107.

The media exchange network 100 further comprises a broadband accessheadend 111 connected between a 3^(rd) home 112 and an Internetinfrastructure 115, a media exchange server 113 (as in the case of asingle central server supporting the media exchange network 100) and,optionally, at least one other media exchange server 114 (as in the caseof a multiple server architecture) supporting the media exchange network100 connected to the Internet infrastructure 115. That is, an embodimentof the present invention may comprise more than two media exchangeservers strategically located at various points in the media exchangenetwork 100.

The broadband access headends 109 and 110 also interface to the Internetinfrastructure 115. The broadband access headend 111 may comprise acable headend, a satellite headend, or a DSL headend, in accordance withvarious embodiments of the present invention. The 3^(rd) home 112 mayalso include a PC, a MPS, and/or a MP as part of the media exchangenetwork 100.

The media exchange network 100 also comprises a media storage server 116and a 3^(rd) party media server 117, both interfacing to the Internetinfrastructure 115. The media storage server 116 interacts with themedia exchange server 113 and provides temporary and/or archival storagefor digital media on the media exchange network 100. For example, themedia storage server 116 may temporarily hold media files that areaddressed to certain MPS's and/or PC's on the media exchange network100.

The 3^(rd) party media server 117 may store movies, video, userprofiles, and other digital media that may be provided to users of themedia exchange network 100.

In accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention, abroadband access headend may be upgraded to a media exchange headend byadding functionality to facilitate the exchange of media on the mediaexchange network in conjunction with the media exchange server. Suchfunctionality may include distributed networking capability, archivalfunctionality (long term media storage), temporary storage (to aid inthe distribution and routing of media), storage management, and digitalrights management.

The media exchange server architecture solves the problem ofcommunication between a device (MPS, PC, MP) at one home and anotherdevice (MPS, PC, MP) at another home over the media exchange network100. The media exchange servers 113 and 114 provide functionality on themedia exchange network 100 including device registration,channel/program setup and management, and security.

The various elements of the media exchange network 100 include storagelocations for digital media and data. The storage locations maycomprise, for example, hard disk drives, a DVD player, a CD player,floppy disk drives, RAM, or any combination of these. The storagelocations may also include, for example, memory sticks, PCMCIA cards,compact flash cards, or any combination of these.

The PC's (101 and 105) may comprise desktop PC's, notebook PC's, PDA's,or any computing device.

The MPS's (102 and 106) are, in one embodiment, essentially enhancedset-top-boxes. The MPS's (102 and 106) may each include a TV screen forviewing and interacting with various user interfaces, media, data, andservices that are available on the media exchange network using, forexample, a remote control. The PC's 101 and 105 may each include a PCmonitor for viewing and interacting with various user interfaces, media,data, and services that are available on the media exchange networkusing, for example, a keyboard and mouse. The MPS's, PC's, and/or MP'sinclude functional software to support interaction with the mediaexchange servers and media peripherals on the media exchange network100, in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention.

In accordance with various embodiments of the present invention, a MPSmay comprise a set-top-box (STB), a PC, or a TV with a media managementsystem (MMS). A MMS is also known herein as a media exchange software(MES) platform.

A MMS comprises a software platform operating on at least one processorto provide certain functionality including user interface functionality,distributed storage functionality, and networking functionality. Forexample, a MMS may provide control of media peripheral devices, statusmonitoring of media peripheral devices, and inter-home MPS routingselection, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

The media peripherals (103 and 107) of the media exchange network 100may include, for example, a digital camera, a digital camcorder, a MP3player, a home juke-box system, a PDA (personal digital assistant), amulti-media gateway device, and various home appliances. The mediaperipherals (103 and 107) of the media exchange network 100 may compriselegacy media peripherals (those media peripherals in existence today)and/or new (non-legacy) media peripherals which may not be on the marketyet. A legacy media peripheral does not have the software or interfaceto interact directly with a media processing system on a media exchangenetwork. A legacy media peripheral may use a PC or a set-top-box as aproxy to interact with a media exchange network. A new media peripheralmay connect to a media exchange network, interact directly with a mediaprocessing system on the media exchange network, and may include digitalcertificates.

In an embodiment of the present invention, a digital certificate isembedded in the firmware or hardware of a new (i.e., non-legacy) MP. Thedigital certificate comprises certain information including a device ID,a public key for encryption, and possibly other information related toservices, payment terms, billing, and media push/access restrictions andlimitations. The digital certificate may be installed in the MP by themanufacturer or seller at the time of purchase. Alternatively, thedigital certificate may be downloaded by the manufacturer to the MP,over a media exchange network, via a PC or a MPS when a user firstconnects the MP to a PC or a MPS.

As defined herein, a legacy MP does not include a digital certificate orany other type of identifying firmware, software, or electronic hardwarefor interacting with a media exchange network. A legacy MP relies on aPC or a MPS on the media exchange network to act as a proxy for the MPfor the purposes of association, authentication, and routing on themedia exchange network.

As defined herein, a non-legacy MP is a media exchange network readyperipheral device and includes a digital certificate or any other typeof identifying firmware, software, or electronic hardware that may beread by or transferred to a PC, a MPS, or a broadband access headend ona media exchange network. A non-legacy MP may be moved to differentlocations and still be recognized by the media exchange network whenconnected to the media exchange network at those different locationsthrough a PC, a MPS, or a broadband access headend.

Other embodiments of the present invention may comprise variouscombinations and/or multiple instantiations of the elements of FIG. 1,in accordance with various aspects of the present invention.

In general, a legacy device is registered on a media exchange networkvia a proxy platform such as a PC or a MPS. To register, a serial ID ofthe device is entered at the request of the proxy platform and the proxyplatform sends the serial ID to a server on the media exchange network(e.g., a manufacturer's server). Once the server validates the serialID, a user of the legacy device gives his name and location and then auser name and password is established. The registration information(i.e., serial ID, user name, password, location, name of the user) maybe stored in a media exchange server, a manufacturer's server, or abroadband access headend on the media exchange network.

As part of the registration process, a user may indicate whether hewants to only use the device at his current location of registration orif he wants to enable roaming capability. With roaming capability, auser name and password is entered after entering the serial number ofthe legacy device at a new location. Such procedures aid in theftprevention of the legacy device.

FIG. 2A is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of a method 200 toprevent theft of a legacy media peripheral on the media exchange networkof FIG. 1, for example, in accordance with various aspects of thepresent invention. In step 201, a legacy MP is connected to a proxydevice (e.g., a PC or a MPS) on a media exchange network at a newlocation (i.e., the MP is not previously registered at the new locationbut at another original location). In step 202, the proxy devicerequests that a device serial ID be entered. In step 203, the proxydevice sends the serial ID to a server on the media exchange network andthe server checks the serial ID for validity. In step 204, if the serialID is valid then, in step 205, the proxy device requests that a user IDand password be entered. Otherwise, in step 208, the media exchangenetwork locks out the legacy MP from being used on the media exchangenetwork. In step 206, if a correct user ID and password were enteredthen, in step 207, the legacy MP becomes registered at the new location.Otherwise, in step 208, the media exchange network locks out the legacyMP.

As an example, referring to FIG. 1, the MP 107 is owned by a user livingat the 1^(st) home 104 and the MP 107 has previously been registered onthe media exchange network 100 at the 1^(st) home 104. However, the MP107 is stolen by a user (a thief) living at the 2^(nd) home 108. Thethief attempts to use the MP 107 on the media exchange network 100 fromthe 2^(nd) home 108. The thief connects the legacy MP 107 (e.g., adigital camera) to the MPS 106. The MPS 106 requests that a deviceserial ID be entered. The thief reads the serial ID off of the MP 107and enters it. The MPS 106 indicates to the thief that the MP 107 hasbeen previously registered at another location and requests that a username and password be entered. The thief does not know the correct username and password and enters incorrect information. The MP 107 is lockedout of the media exchange network (i.e., the thief cannot use the MP 107on the media exchange network).

As a modification of the example above, the thief not only steals the MP107 but has somehow also found out the corresponding user name anddevice serial ID. When the thief enters the correct information, themedia exchange network 100 checks if the MP has been reported as stolenor lost. The user of the 1^(st) home has reported to the media exchangeserver 113 that the MP 107 has been stolen. As a result, the mediaexchange server 113 on the media exchange network 100 sends a report tothe local police indicating the new location of the stolen MP 107. TheMP 107 is also locked out of the media exchange network 100.

Other embodiments of the method 200, with certain variations in steps,may be possible as well, in accordance with various aspects of thepresent invention.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the media exchange server 113is able to identify the location of the PC 101 and, therefore, the MP103 by its physical connection to the media exchange network 100. Inanother embodiment of the present invention, the media exchange server113 is able to identify the location of the PC 101 and, therefore, theMP 103 by its IP address.

FIG. 2B is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of a method 210 toprevent theft of a new (non-legacy) media peripheral on the mediaexchange network of FIG. 1, in accordance with various aspects of thepresent invention. In step 211, a new MP attempts to connect to a mediaexchange network via a PC or a MPS at a new location. In step 212, thePC or MPS reads a digital certificate within the MP and requests that apassword be entered. In step 213, if the correct password is entered,then in step 214, the media exchange network becomes aware that the MPhas moved to a new location and the MP becomes registered at the newlocation. Otherwise, in step 215, the media exchange network, having theinformation from the digital certificate, checks if the MP has beenreported as stolen or lost. In step 216, if the MP has been reported asstolen or lost then, in step 218, the media exchange network notifiesthe authorities of the new location of the MP and locks out the MP fromthe media exchange network. Otherwise, in step 217, the MP is simplylocked out from the media exchange network.

As an example, referring to FIG. 1, a thief may have stolen the MP 103(e.g., a digital camcorder) from the 3^(rd) home 112. The thief takesthe MP 103 to his home (e.g., 1^(st) home 104) and attempts to connectthe MP 103 to the media exchange network 100 via the PC 101. The PC 101reads the digital certificate within the MP 103 and requests that apassword be entered. The thief, having somehow discovered the correctpassword, enters the correct password. However, the user at the 3^(rd)home 112 has already made the media exchange network 100 aware that theMP 103 has been stolen. The media exchange server 113, having receivedthe digital certificate from the PC 101, checks if the MP 103 has beenreported as stolen or lost. Once establishing that the MP 103 has indeedbeen reported as stolen, the media exchange server 113 reports the newlocation (i.e., the 1^(st) home 104) of the MP 103 to the localauthorities. The MP 103 is also locked out of the media exchange network100.

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a new(non-legacy) MP may include special software that allows a digitalcertificate in the MP to be read by or transferred to a PC, a MPS, or abroadband access headend on a media exchange network. The digitalcertificate may be opened with a certificate key by a certificateauthority in the media exchange network to authorize the MP. However, ingeneral, a MPS or PC may have a certificate key as well. The certificateauthority may be part of a media exchange server on the media exchangenetwork, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Other embodiments of the method 210, with certain variations in steps,may be possible as well, in accordance with various aspects of thepresent invention.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, if a MPis lost, a user who finds the MP and tries to connect it to a mediaexchange network may get a message via his PC or MPS indicating the nameand home address of the owner of the lost MP so the user can return thelost MP.

A major challenge is to be able to transfer and share many differenttypes of digital media, data, and services between one device/locationand another with ease while being able to index, manage, and store thedigital media and data.

For example, it is desirable to be able to distribute and store manytypes of digital media in a PC and/or television environment in auser-friendly manner without requiring many different types of softwareapplications and/or unique and dedicated interfaces. Any networkingissues or other technical issues should be transparent to the users. Itis also desirable to take advantage of existing hardware infrastructure,as much as possible, when providing such capability.

In an embodiment of the present invention, a media exchange network isprovided that enables many types of digital media, data, and/or servicesto be stored, indexed, viewed, searched for, pushed from one user toanother, and requested by users, using a TV channel guide look-and-feeluser interface. The media exchange network also allows a user toconstruct personal media channels that comprise his personal digitalmedia (e.g., captured digital pictures, digital video, digital audio,etc.), request that third-party media channels be constructed fromthird-party digital media, and access the media channels pushed to himby other users on the media exchange network.

PC's may be used but are not required to interface to the media exchangenetwork for the purpose of exchanging digital media, data, and services.Instead, set-top-boxes or integrated MPS's (media processing systems)may be used with the media exchange network to perform all of thepreviously described media exchange functions using a remote controlwith a television screen.

Current set-top-boxes may be software enhanced to create a MPS thatprovides full media exchange network interfacing and functionality via aTV screen with a TV guide look-and-feel. PC's may be software enhancedas well and provide the same TV guide look-and-feel. Therefore, themedia exchange network supports both PC's and MPS's in a similar manner.Alternatively, a fully integrated MPS may be designed from the groundup, having full MPS capability.

In the case of an MPS configuration, the user takes advantage of hisremote control and TV screen to use the media exchange network. In thecase of a PC configuration, the user takes advantage of his keyboardand/or mouse to use the media exchange network.

An MPS or enhanced PC is effectively a storage and distribution platformfor the exchange of personal and third party digital media, data, andservices as well as for bringing the conventional television channels toa user's home. An MPS and/or PC connects to the media exchange networkvia an existing communication infrastructure which may include cable,DSL, satellite, etc. The connection to the communication infrastructuremay be hard-wired or wireless.

The media exchange network allows users to effectively become their ownbroadcasters from their own homes by creating their own media channelsand pushing those media channels to other authorized users on the mediaexchange network, such as friends and family members.

FIG. 3 comprises a media exchange network 300 for exchanging and sharingdigital media, data, and services in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present invention. The media exchange network 300 is a secure,closed network environment that is only accessible to pre-defined usersand service providers. The media exchange network of FIG. 3 comprises afirst PC 301 and a first media processing system (MPS) 302 at a user'shome 303, a communication infrastructure 304, external processinghardware support 305, remote media storage 306, a second PC 307 at aremote location 308 such as an office, and a second MPS 309 at aparent's home 310.

The PC's 301 and 307 and the MPS's 302 and 309 each include a mediaexchange software (MES) platform 311 and a networking component 312 forconnectivity. The MES platform 311 provides multiple capabilitiesincluding media “push” capability, media “access” capability, mediachannel construction/selection, image sequence selection, text and voiceoverlay, channel and program naming, inter-home routing selection,authorship and media rights management, shared inter-home mediaexperience, billing service, and an integrated TV channel guidelook-and-feel.

The external processing hardware support 305 comprises at least oneserver such as a centralized internet server, a peer-to-peer server, orcable head end. The server may alternatively be distributed over varioushosts or remote PC's. The MES platform 311 may also reside on theexternal processing hardware support server 305. The remote mediastorage 306 may comprise user media storage and distribution systems 313and/or third party media storage and distribution systems 314.

The communication infrastructure 304 may comprise at least one ofinternet infrastructure, satellite infrastructure, cable infrastructure,dial-up infrastructure, cellular infrastructure, xDSL infrastructure,optical infrastructure, or some other infrastructure. The communicationinfrastructure 304 links the user's home 303, parent's home 310, remotemedia storage 306, and remote location office 308 to each other (i.e.,the communication infrastructure 304 links all users and serviceproviders of the media exchange network 300).

The various functions 315 of the media exchange network 300 comprisegenerating personal network associations, personal storage management,media capture device support, security/authentication/authorizationsupport, authorship tracking and billing and address registration andmaintenance. These media exchange management functions 315 may bedistributed over various parts of the media exchange network 300. Forexample, the personal network associations and personal storagemanagement functions may be integrated in the PC 301 at the user's home303.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of personal media exchange over a mediaexchange network 400 in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention. In step 1, the media exchange software (MES) platform 401 isused to construct personal media channels on a PC 402 by a user at “myhouse” 403. For example, with various media stored on the PC 402 such asdigital pictures 404, videos 405, and music 406, the MES platform 401allows the digital media to be organized by a user into several channelshaving a TV channel guide look-and-feel user interface 407 on the PC402.

In step 2, the user at “my house” 403 pushes a media channel 408 (e.g.,“Joe's Music”) to “brother's house” 409 and pushes two media channels410 and 411 (e.g., “Vacation Video” and “Kid's Pictures”) to “Mom'shouse” 412 via a peer-to-peer server 413 over the internet-based mediaexchange network 400. “Brother's house” 409 includes a first MPS 414connected to the media exchange network 400. “Mom's house” 412 includesa second MPS 415 connected to the media exchange network 400. The MPS's414 and 415 also provide a TV channel guide look-and-feel user interface407.

In step 3, brother and/or Mom access the pushed media channels via theirrespective media processing systems (MPS's) 414 and 415 using theirrespective MPS TV screens and remote controls.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of third-party media exchange over a mediaexchange network 500 in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention. In step 1, a PC-initiated third-party request is made by afirst party 501 via an internet-based media exchange network 500 using aTV channel guide look-and-feel user interface 502 on a PC 503. In step2, an anonymous delivery of the requested third-party channel 504 ismade to a second party 505 via the internet-based media exchange network500. In step 3, the second party 505 accesses the third-party channel504 using a TV channel guide look-and-feel user interface 506 on a TVscreen 507 that is integrated into an MPS 508.

Similarly, in step A, an MPS-initiated third-party request is made by asecond party 505 via an internet-based media exchange network 500 usinga TV channel guide look-and-feel user interface 506 on a TV screen 507using a remote control 509. The second party 505 may key in a code,using his remote control 509, that is correlated to a commercial or someother third party broadcast media. In step B, an anonymous delivery ofthe requested third-party channel 504 is made to a first party 501 viathe internet-based media exchange network 500. In step C, the firstparty 501 accesses the third-party channel 504 using a TV channel guidelook-and-feel user interface 502 on a PC 503.

FIG. 6 illustrates a TV channel guide user interface 600 in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention. The TV channel guide userinterface 600 may be displayed on a TV screen 608 and controlled by aremote control device 609. Also, the TV channel guide user interface 600may be displayed on a PC monitor and controlled by a keyboard or mouse.

The TV channel guide user interface 600 may be configured not only forconventional TV channels but also for personal media channels 601 thatare constructed by a user of a media exchange network, friend's andfamily's media channels 602 constructed by friends and family, and thirdparty channels 603 that are constructed by third parties either uponrequest by a user of a media exchange network or based on a profile of auser.

The personal media channels 601 may include, for example, a “familyvacations channel”, a “kid's sports channel”, a “my life channel”, a“son's life channel”, a “my music channel”, and a “kid's music channel”.The friends and family media channels 602 may include, for example, a“brother's channel”, a “Mom's channel”, and a “friend's channel”. Thethird party media channels 603 may include, for example, a “Sears Fallsale channel” and a “car commercials channel”.

Each media channel may correspond to a schedule 604 showing, forexample, a week 605 and a year 606. For example, under the “kid's sportschannel”, Ty's soccer game could be scheduled to be viewed on Tuesday ofthe current week 605 and current year 606. For each media channel, asub-menu 607 allows for selection of certain control and accessfunctions such as “play”, “send to list”, “send to archive”, “confirmreceipt”, “view”, “purchase”, and “profile”.

FIG. 7 illustrates possible multiple instantiations of a TV channelguide user interface 700 in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention. The TV channel guide user interface 700 may be viewed with aschedule having formats of, for example, “month, year”, “week#, year”,“day, week#”, or “hour, day”.

Referring to FIG. 8, a user of a media exchange network may push a mediachannel (e.g., “Vacation in Alaska Video”) to a friend who is on thesame media exchange network. The TV channel guide user interface 800 maygive the friend several options 801 for how to accept and download thepushed media in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

For example, a first, most expensive option 803 may be “ExpressDelivery” which would deliver the pushed media to the friend in 18minutes using queuing and cost $1.20, for example. The pushed media maybe stored in a file in an MPEG 2 format that was recorded at a rate of 4Mbps, for example. Queuing comprises buffering and delivering a previouspart of the media and then buffering and delivering a next part of themedia. For example, a first six minutes of the “Vacation in AlaskaVideo” may be buffered and delivered first, then a second six minutesmay be buffered and delivered next, and so on until the entire media isdelivered.

A second, less expensive option 802 may be “Normal Delivery” which woulddeliver the pushed media in 2 hours and 13 minutes without queuing andcost $0.59, for example. The pushed media may be stored in a file in anMPEG 2 format that was recorded at a rate of 1.5 Mbps, for example.

A third, least expensive option 804 may be “Overnight Delivery” whichwould deliver the pushed media by the next morning and cost only $0.05,for example. The pushed media may be stored in a file in an MPEG 2format that was recorded at a rate of 19 Mbps and stored on a server,for example.

FIG. 9A illustrates the detailed elements of a media processing system(MPS) 900 and media capture devices 901 in accordance with an embodimentof the present invention. The media capture devices 901 may compriseaudio, video, and image players, such as digital cameras, digitalcamcorders, and MP3 players, that each include a temporary storage area902 and a communication interface 903 such as, for example, a USBinterface or a wireless interface. The media capture devices 901 havethe capability to interface to an MPS and a PC.

The MPS 900 comprises a media processing unit (MPU) 904, remote userinterface(s) 905, and a TV screen 918 to provide integrated mediaprocessing capability and indirect user interface capability. The remoteuser interfaces 905 may comprise a voice or keyed remote control 906,keyboards and pads 907, a remote PC access interface 908, and a remotemedia system access interface 909 (i.e., providing access from anotherMPS).

The media processing unit (MPU) 904 comprises TV and radio tuners 910for image and audio consumption, communications interfaces 911, channelprocessing 912 (creating, storing, indexing, viewing), storage 913,media players 914 (CD, DVD, Tape, PVR, MP3), an integrated userinterface 915 (to provide a TV channel guide look-and-feel), networkingcomponents 916 to provide client functions such as consumption(billing), authorization (e.g., using digital certificates and digitalID's), registration, security, and connectivity. In an alternativeembodiment of the present invention, the networking components 916 mayinclude a distributed server element 917 that is part of a distributedserver.

FIG. 9B illustrates an alternative embodiment of a media processingsystem (MPS) 920 in accordance with various aspects of the presentinvention. The MPS 920 is essentially an enhanced set-top-box forviewing and interacting with various user interfaces, media, data, andservices that are available on the media exchange network using, forexample, a remote control. The MPS 920 comprises a media peripheral 921,a MMS (media management system) 922, and a broadband communicationinterface 923.

The media peripheral 921 may include a TV (television), a PC (personalcomputer), and media players (e.g., a CD player, a DVD player, a tapeplayer, and a MP3 player) for video, image, and audio consumption ofbroadcast and/or personal channels. The broadband communicationinterface 923 may include internal modems (e.g., a cable modem or DSLmodem) or other interface devices in order to communicate with, forexample, a cable or satellite headend.

The MMS 922 includes a software platform to provide functionalityincluding media “push” capability, media “access” capability, mediachannel construction/selection, image sequence selection, text and voiceoverlay, channel and program naming, inter-home routing selection,authorship and media rights management, shared inter-home mediaexperience, billing service, and a media guide user interface providingan integrated TV channel guide look-and-feel.

FIG. 10 illustrates connectivity between a PC 1000, an MPS 1001, andexternal processing hardware 1002 (e.g., a server) in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention. The PC 1000 and MPS 1001 includenetworking components 1003 to provide client functions such asconsumption (billing), authorization, registration, security, andconnectivity. Alternatively, the PC 1000 and MPS 1001 may include adistributed server element 1004 that is part of a distributed server.

The PC 1000 and MPS 1001 connect to the external processing hardware1002 via wired or wireless connections. The external processing hardware1002 comprises a distributed server or peer-to-peer server. The externalprocessing hardware 1002 also comprises communication interfaces 1005(e.g., cable interfaces, optical interfaces, etc.) and a media exchangesoftware (MES) platform 1006. The MES platform 1006 in the externalprocessing hardware 1002 allows for communication with the PC 1000 andMPS 1001 which may also use the same MES platform 1006. The externalprocessing hardware 1002 also includes networking server components 1007to provide the similar client functions such as consumption (billing),authorization, registration, security, and connectivity at the serverside.

FIG. 11 illustrates connectivity between a PC 1100, remote media storage1101, and personal media capture devices 1102 when the PC 1100 is usedas the primary distributor of digital media such as in the case ofPC-to-PC operation, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention. The personal media capture devices 1102 and remote mediastorage 1101 connect to the PC 1100 via a wireless or wired connection.The remote media storage 1101 provides user media storage anddistribution 1103 as well as third party media storage and distribution1104. The personal media capture devices 1102 provide temporary storage1114 and communication interfaces 1115.

Viewing is done using a PC monitor 1105 instead of a television screen.The PC 1100 may include storage 1106, TV/radio tuners 1107 for mediaconsumption, media players 1108, and communication interfaces 1109 anduser interfaces 1110 similar to those for the MPS of FIG. 9. The PC 1100includes a media exchange software (MES) platform 1111 that provideschannel construction capability 1112 and networking capability 1113. Thechannel construction capability 1112 allows third party and personalmedia access, sequencing, editing, media overlays and inserts, billing,scheduling, and addressing.

In summary, a system and method support secure media peripheralassociation and authentication on a media exchange network.

While the invention has been described with reference to certainembodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art thatvarious changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention. In addition, manymodifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material tothe teachings of the invention without departing from its scope.Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to theparticular embodiment disclosed, but that the invention will include allembodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.

1. A method of theft prevention of communication devices used in acommunication network, the method comprising: registering acommunication device deployed at a location that is communicativelycoupled to the communication network, wherein said registering uses atleast one registration information associated with said location,wherein said registering comprises entering the device serial ID numberof the communication device associated with said location where thecommunication device is registered if the device is to be used only atsaid location where the communication device is registered, and whereinsaid registering comprises entering the device serial ID number of thecommunication device, a user name and a password if the communicationdevice is to be used at another location that is separate and distinctfrom said location wherein the communication device is registered;receiving validation information relating to the communication device,the validation information entered via the communication device; anddetermining whether the communication device is authorized for use inthe communication network, based on at least the validation informationentered via the communication device.
 2. The method of claim 1, whereinregistering the communication device comprises one or more ofrecognizing a digital certificate stored in the communication device,entering roaming preferences for the communication device, and enteringa password.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving of thevalidation information comprises one or more of receiving the deviceserial ID number, recognizing a digital certificate stored in thecommunication device, and receiving a password.
 4. The method of claim1, comprising: locking the communication device out of the communicationnetwork upon determination that the communication device isunauthorized.
 5. The method of claim 4, comprising: determining thelocation of the communication device.
 6. The method of claim 5,comprising: notifying an authority of the location of the communicationdevice, if the communication device has been reported as stolen.
 7. Asystem supporting theft prevention of communication devices used in acommunication network, comprising: at least one processor,communicatively coupled to the communication network, that receivesregistration information related to a communication device, saidregistration information associated with at least a location of thecommunication device, wherein said registration information comprises adevice serial ID number of the communication device associated with saidlocation where the communication device is registered if the device isto be used only at said location where the communication device isregistered, and wherein said registration information comprises thedevice serial ID number of the communication device, a user name and apassword if the communication device is to be used at another locationthat is separate and distinct from said location where the communicationdevice is registered, the at least one processor further receivesvalidation information entered into the communication network via thecommunication device, and determines whether the communication device isauthorized for use in the communication network, based on the receivedvalidation information.
 8. The system of claim 7, wherein the at leastone processor comprises one or both of a personal computer and aset-top-box.
 9. A system supporting theft prevention of communicationdevices used in a communication network, comprising: a communicationdevice deployed in a home environment; and a communication networkcommunicatively coupled to the home environment, the communicationnetwork receiving registration information for the communication device,the registration information associated with a location of thecommunication device, wherein said registration information comprises adevice serial ID number of the communication device associated with saidlocation where the communication device is registered if the device isto be used only at said location where the communication device isregistered, and wherein said registration information comprises thedevice serial ID number of the communication device, a user name and apassword if the communication device is to be used at another locationthat is separate and distinct from said location where the communicationdevice is registered, the communication network receiving validationinformation entered via the communication device and relating to thecommunication device, and determining whether to grant the communicationdevice access to the communication network, based on the validationinformation entered via the communication device.
 10. The system ofclaim 9, wherein the communication network comprises one or more of athird party media server, a media storage server, a broadband accessheadend, a cable infrastructure, a satellite network infrastructure, adigital subscriber line (DSL) infrastructure, an Internetinfrastructure, an intranet infrastructure, a wired infrastructure, aclosed communication infrastructure, and a wireless infrastructure. 11.The system of claim 10, wherein the communication network comprises theInternet.
 12. The system of claim 10, wherein the communication networkcomprises the closed communication infrastructure.
 13. The system ofclaim 9, wherein the authorization information comprises one or more ofthe device serial ID number, a digital certificate, and a password. 14.The system of claim 9, wherein the communication device comprises one ormore of a digital camera, a digital camcorder, a television, a personalcomputer, a CD player, a juke-box, a multi-media gateway device, amulti-media personal digital assistant, a DVD player, a tape player, amedia player, and a MP3 player.
 15. A system supporting theft preventionof communication devices used in a communication network, comprising: astorage device residing in a first home environment; a media deviceresiding in a second home environment; and a communication networkcommunicatively coupled to the first home environment and the secondhome environment, the communication network receiving registrationinformation for the media device, the registration informationassociated with at least the second home environment, wherein theregistration information comprises a device serial ID number of themedia device associated with the second home environment if the mediadevice is to be used only at the second home environment, and whereinthe registration information comprises the device serial ID number ofthe media device, a user name and a password if the media device is tobe used at another location that is separate and distinct from thesecond home environment, the communication network analyzing validationinformation entered via the media device, and determining whether togrant access to the media device to the first home environment via thecommunication network, based on the validation information entered viathe media device residing in the second home environment.
 16. The systemof claim 15, wherein the communication network analyzes authorizationinformation and determines whether to grant access of the media deviceto the storage device.
 17. The system of claim 15, wherein thecommunication network comprises one or more of a third party mediaserver, a media storage server, a broadband access headend, a cableinfrastructure, a satellite network infrastructure, a digital subscriberline (DSL) infrastructure, an Internet infrastructure, an intranetinfrastructure, a wired infrastructure, a closed communicationinfrastructure, and/or a wireless infrastructure.
 18. The system ofclaim 17, wherein the communication network comprises the Internet. 19.The system of claim 17, wherein the communication network comprises theclosed communication infrastructure.
 20. The system of claim 15, whereinthe authorization information comprises one or more of the device serialID number, a digital certificate, and a password.
 21. The system ofclaim 15, wherein the media device comprises one or more of a digitalcamera, a digital camcorder, a television, a personal computer, a CDplayer, a juke-box, a multi-media gateway device, a multi-media personaldigital assistant, a DVD player, a tape player, a media player, and aMP3 player.